Furniture construction



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed Dec. 28, 1962 rssv INVENTOR. OLLEY C. LAUBER ATTGRNEY Jan. 19, 1965 o. c. LAUBER FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1962 III;

Il/IIII INVENTOR. OLLEY C. LAUBER BY 2 2 A TTORNETJ 3,166,431 Patented Jan. 19, 1965 3,166,631 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTEON Olley C. Lauber, Archhold, Ohio, assignor to Lauber Manufacturing Company, Archibald, Ohio, a'corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 247,221) Claims. (Cl. 168-156) This invention relates to improved furniture construc-' tion and more particularly to an improvement in the attachment of a leg to a table, chair, or other article of furniture. 7

Even though a number of methods and means are known in the art of furniture construction for attaching legs to tables, chairs, or the like the present invention provides improved means for effecting such an attachment.

necessary and further enables the legs to be assembled or disassembled; easily so that the article of furniture can be readily knocked down'for shipment to substantially lower shipping costs.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide an improved leg construction for furniture which is more simple, less expensive, and enables the legs to be more easily assembled and disassembled than heretofore.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be specifically discussed below and still others will be apparent from the following discussion, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of an article of furniture embodying a leg construction according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in cross section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective similar to FIG. 1, but with the leg removed;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the leg of FIG. 1, but looking down at the leg;

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective similar to FIG. 1 of a slightly modified construction; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in cross section taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, an article of furniture is a table, in this instance, although it could equally well be a chair or other article of furniture for which the leg attachment according to the invention is applicable. The article includes a supporting member or table top 12 from which aprons 14 and 16 and a leg 18 depend. The supporting member 12 can be of any suitable thickness which will depend, in part, on its ultimate use, for example, whether it is a table top or a seat, and also upon the overall size. The top 12 preferably has a lower flat surface 20, at least in the area adjacent the aprons 14 and 16 and the end of the leg 18.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, the supporting member 12 has shallow grooves 22 and 24 routed or otherwise suitably formed therein to receive upper edges of the aprons 14 and 16. The grooves 22 and 24 preferably terminate in spaced relationship near the corners, as shown in FIG. 3, before they would otherwise intersect. The ends of the' grooves :22 and 24 thereby help to position the aprons 14 and 16 longitudinally and determine the minimum spacing between them, where such spacing is desired. The aprons 14 and 16 are glued in the-respective grooves 22 and 24 but not over their entire lengths. Rather, the adhesive is spread only over approximately the middle two-thirds of the lengths of the aprons, depending upon their size, but in any case with several inches at each end of the aprons being left unattached for purposes of expansion. This enables the The attachment according to the invention re-- quires less material and fewer operations than heretofore aprons 14 and 16 to expand relative to the supporting" member 12 without any undue stresses being set up.

As shown in FIG. 3, adjacent ends 26 and 28 of'the aprons 14 and 16 are preferably spaced apart somewhat for purposes of expansion, although the spacing is not otherwise necessary. For purposes of the invention, the aprons 14 and 16 can even be joined at their ends if expansion is not a problem.

While the aprons 14 and 16 are shown as extending perpendicularly from the surface 20, they'can also converge or slope away from the edges of the supporting member 12,,in which instance the ends 26'and 28 can be cut back accordingly so that they will notinterfere with one another. Oppositely, the aprons 114 and 16 can diverge or extend toward the edges of the supporting member 12, with the ends 26 and 28 extended further, if the aprons diverge sufi'iciently, sothat the gap between them will not be excessive. It will be noted that as long as the ends of the aprons 14 and 16 are. generally planar, the apron angle, meaning the angle formed between sidewalls of the aprons Hand '16 in any plane parallel to the surface 20, will always be the same, even if the aprons converge or diverge, It may be noted that the construction can also be used with tables having circular or oval tops and aprons, in which case the apron angle is substantially 7 Referring more particularly to FIG. 4, the leg 18 in this instance/is generally square with two. outer flat surfaces 30 and 32 which are fully exposed beyond the aprons 14 and 16, and twoinner flat surfaces 34 and 36. Two elongated leg grooves 38 and4tl extend from a butt end 42 of the leg 18 downwardly into the leg and open upon the surfaces 34 and 36 to receivethe aprons 14 and 16; The grooves 33 and 40 have bottom walls or edges 44 and 46 which are spaced apart by a distance not exceeding the spacing between the ends 26 and 280i the aprons 14 and 16. The bottom walls 44 and 46. of the grooves 38 and 40 then cannot interfere with the ends 26 and 28 when the leg 18 is assembled with the aprons 14 and 16, with the aprons 114 and 16 inserted in the grooves 38 and 40, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. If the apron ends are closer together than the bottoms of the grooves, the leg cannot be assembled and the table probably will be returned to the manufacturer as defective. To prevent this possibility, the grooves 22 and 24 can terminate short of one another, as previously discussed, to determine the minimum spacing between the apron ends 26 and 28,

The bottom edges 44 and 46 of the grooves 38 and 41) need not be parallel, as, long as they clear the ends 26 and 28 of the aprons 14 and 16. Further, the grooves 38 and 40 can intersect one another or even extend beyond one another, although this is not desirable because grooves of excessively large size only weaken the leg 18. The grooves 38 and 40 are preferably spaced apart so that two portions 48 and 50 of the leg 18 which are formed at the upper end by the grooves 38 and 40 will be connected by a web portion 52 for maximum strength. The web portion 52 would be eliminated if the grooves 38 and 4t inters'ected,fiso that the leg portions 48 and 59 would no longer be connecting. 1:

The grooves 38 and 40 preferably are at least as long as the aprons 14and 16 are wideso that the leg e nd42 will abut the surface 20 to improve the appearance and to add strength to the construction. It the grooves 38 and 40 are made with conventional routers, lower ends 54 and 56 of the grooves, while perpendicular to the bottom walls 44 and 46, usually will not be parallel to the lower edges of the end portions of the aprons 14 and 16, if the leg 18 either converges or diverges. If the legs di verge, as shown in FIG. 2, and the grooves are made long enough so that the ends 54 and 56 clear the'end portions of the aprons 14 and 16, a slight gap will result at the surfaces'34 and 36 of the leg, as shownin FIG. 2.

readily apparent inmost cases. In extreme cases, the end portions of the-aprons'14 and 16 can be beveled slightly s'o that they will not interfere with theiends 54 and 56 of the grooves 38 and 40 when the grooves are made 'just long enough to clear the edges of the aprons 14 and 16- adjacent the leg surfaces 34 and .36. If the legs "converge, the grooves'38 and 49 are made long enough for the groove ends 54 and 56 to clear theedg'es of the aprons 14 and '16 adjacent the leg surfaces 34 and -36','with the extreme'end edges of the apronsM and 16 V j then spaced slightly from the grooverends 54 and 56.

This spacing is immaterial since the resulting gaps are hidden and do not lessen the strength of the construction- The groove angle, defined as the angle made between :parallel side walls 58 and 60 of the grooves 38 and 4t) taken in a plane parallel to the surface 29, must be equal' 'to the apron angle in order to assemble the'leg 18.] It is also-necessary that each of the surface-apron angles be equal to the corresponding surface-leg grooveangle.

The surface-apron angle is the'angle the apron v1 4 Lor 16 I makes with'the surface 29 in aplane perpendicular to the surface 29 and to the apron. The surface-leg groove angle is the angle the leg groove 38 or 40, when the leg 18 is in assembled relationship, makes with the surface 20 in a plane perpendicular to the surface 29 and to a side wall of the groove; When these corresponding angles are equal, and if the grooves '38 and 4t) aresufficiently deep andlong'enough, the leg l cari be assembled with the aprons 14 and 16 regardless of; whether they'congrooves. 38and 140 converge toward thesurfaces 36 and- 34, respectively, of the leg18, This does not affectassembly of the article, however, as long as the angular relationships discussed'above hold true. If the legs 18 are to'be disposed vertically ofperperidicular tothe surface 20 then the sidewalls '53 andjl) of the grooves 33 and 40 .will be parallel to the surfaces 36 and 34 throughout their lengths, and if the legs converge,;then the side- 1 .is not a serious problem, however, because the gap is not 7i and 72 can be nails 84 and glue, for example.

In this instance, the aprons 76 and 72 are afiixed to the supporting member 68 by being fastened to the inneredges of the frame members 76 and 78 by means of The construction otherwise is the same as that of FIGS. 1-4 except that only a rear surface 86 of the butt. end of the leg 74 contacts the frame members 76 and 78 whilea front portion 88 of the butt end is spaced from the top sheet or plate 82. It may be noted that with this construction, the aprons as thin 'as the aprons 14 and 16 of FIGS. 1-4. 1 a .7 p

From the above discussion, itwill be apparent that the new construction has many advantages. By employing the shallow groove and glue or the nail and frame technique for afixingthe aprons 14 and 16'to the supporting member 12, the aprons can be actuallylmuch thinner, in fact only half as thick, as conventional ones. Two of the aprons'can be made from one-inch stock, for example, whereas only one can be made-from such stock. for conventional aprons. The extra thickness-is required in conventional aprons because such. aprons;

are screwed to their supporting member with the screws This usually requiring one-half inch countersinks. necessitates the use of aprons at least one-half inch thick and extra thickness isusually needed to prevent undue weakness resulting from the screw, holes drilled verge o1- diverge and regardless of whether the: apron For therein. "Wheretongue-and-groove joints have been-used,

the extra thickness is also necessary in orderto make the. tongues of reasonable thickness.v Hence, the grooveand glue or nail 'and'fratne attachment of the aprons in.

accordance with the invention reduces thethickness of the aprons substantially and eliminates the eight or more screws required to fasten the aprons. to the supporting member, along with the drilling operations associated therewith. The leg-attachment eliminates the operations required to form the tongue-and-groovejoint often used u and completely eliminates the steel cross braces and bolts commonly employed. 7 V 7 Because the entire aprons are received in the slots, there is no problem with a side; gap appearing during contraction of the aprons; further, round legs or legs .with angular walls can be employed without the necessity walls ,58 and 60 will diverge'in a downward direction W with respect to the surfaces 36 and 34.

vWhile the grooves 38 and 40 are shown as being per-x pendicular to the surfaces 34 and 36 respectively, the grooves can be cut at any angle in the leg as long as their relationship toward one another remains the same. For

example, thegrooves can be at "45 degreei'angles to the opposed surfaces 30 and 36 or 32 and 34; rather than be! ing perpendicular to the adjaicent surfaces 34 and '36.

The grooves'also-can be formedin round legs with equal facility. V The widthof the grooves'38' and 40 can becontrolled so as'to provide afriction'al fit with the aprons14 and 16. Where additional means of preventing separation of the leg from the aprons Sand supporting member is' desired; a screw hole 62 can bedrilled intheleg, as

shown in FIG. 1, with a screw-64 positioned in this hole to be driven against or into the endpor tion of the"a'pron 14,1 when assembled. The screw hole and screw are at an angle to the surface 24) so as'to-be more accessible, but otherwise can be parallel to the surface 20, from'a of specially shaping the ends of the aprons to fit therewith Asanother 'feature'of the new construction,'it is possible to adjust the'lengths of. the legs relative to the floor simply bypulling a leg slightly away from the supporting member 12 to space the butt end 4 2from the surface 2%. A shim can beplaced in this space,

if desired; A slight gap or 'an increased gap isthen formed between the lower edge ofthe apron and the end of the groove but this is notnoticeable in most instances. u

' The efficient knock-down feature resulting from the conin the art, and it is to be understood that such moditween said grooves, said aprons also forming predetcr-'- table top 68 from which aprons 70 and 72 and a leg depend. The supporting member 68,,in this instance,

1 includes "frame members 76 and 78 which'form 'a' fiat supporting surface 80. The supporting member. 68 also includes abridging sheet 32 of thinner material includnor of the accompanying claims.

struction also reduces shipping costs by a substantial amount. I

Yarious modificationsof the above described embodiment ofthe mventioniwill be apparent to those skilled fications can be made/without'departing from the scope of the invention, if they .are within the .What I claim is:

,7 1 An article of'furnitureofthe class described: 50m: t prising a supporting member'having a flat. surface, said 5 surface having a pair of shallow grooves lying at a predetermined angle with respect to one another, a pain-of aprons affixed in said grooves, said apronsrbeing of uni= form thickness throughout their entire lengths, saidapl'ons forming an'apron angle which is equal to the. angle bemined surface-apron angles, aleg having two leg grooves extendingfrom an end thereof, said :leg grooves extending toward the other end of'said leg a distance substantiallyiat least as greatas the width of end portions of;

spirit and the said aprons, said leg grooves being substantially as wide as said aprons are thick, the bottoms of said leg grooves being at least as close together as the ends of said aprons, said leg grooves forming a groove angle which is substantially equal to said apron angle, each of said leg grooves forming a surface-leg groove angle equal to the surface-apron angle of the respective apron, said end portions of said aprons being held in said grooves.

2. An article according to claim 1 wherein said groove angle and said apron angle are in the order of 90 degrees.

3. An article of furniture comprising a supporting member, a pair of aprons extending below a surface of said supporting member, each at a predetermined surfaceapron angle, said aprons forming an apron angle therebetween, a leg with two grooves in an end thereof to receive end portions of said aprons, said apron end portions and at least additional portions of said aprons extending toward the opposite end being of constant thickness, said grooves forming a groove angle equal to said apron angle, each of said grooves extending into the leg a distance substantially at least as great as the width of an end portion of the respective one or" said aprons, each of said grooves being substantially as wide as the respective apron is thick, said grooves supporting said aprons relative to one another and holding said leg in predetermined relationship with respect to said supporting member, and each of said grooves forrrr ng a surface-leg groove angle equal to the surface-apron angle of the respective apron.

4. An article according to claim 3 characterized by a single screw extending through a portion of said leg between said aprons and into one of said apron end portions for holding said leg in assembled relationship with said aprons.

5. An article according to claim 3 wherein said supporting member is a frame and said aprons are atfixed to inner edges of said frame.

6. An article of furniture comprising a supporting member, a pair of aprons extending below a surfaceof said supporting member, each at a predetermined surfaceapron angle, said aprons forming an apron angle therebetween, a leg with two grooves in an end thereof to re-- ceive end portions of said aprons, said end portions of said aprons and additional portions of said aprons extending beyond said leg grooves toward the opposite ends of said aprons being of constant thickness, said grooves forming a groove angle equal to said apron angle, said grooves supporting said aprons relative to one another andholding said leg in predetermined relationship with respect to said supporting member, and each of said grooves forming a surface-leg groove angle equal to the surface-apron angle of the respective apron, said apron end portions being sufficiently long and said leg grooves being 'sufiiciently deep to enable said leg to support said' article through said aprons without fasteners.

7. An article according to claim 6 and a single screw extending through a portion of said leg between said h 9. An article of furniture comprising a supporting member having a flat low r surface, said surface having a pair of shallow grooves lying at a predetermined angle with respect to one another, a pair of aprons, an edge of each of wh ch is afiixed in one of said grooves by ad hesive, the ends of said aprons being joined together at the ends of said grooves, said aprons being of uniform thickness throughout their entire lengths, said aprons forming an apron angle which is equal to the angle between said grooves, said aprons also forming equal predetermined surface-apron angles, a leg having two leg grooves extending from an end thereof, said leg grooves extending toward the other end of the leg a distance substantially at least as great as the width of end portions of said aprons to be received in said leg grooves, said leg grooves being substantially as wide as said aprons are thick, said leg grooves forming a groove angle which is substantially equal to said apron angle, said leg grooves forming surface-leg groove angles equal to the surfaceapron angles, said end portions of said aprons being held in said leg grooves with the end of said leg substantially contacting the adjacent surface of said supporting member.

10. An article of furniture comprising a. supporting member having a fiat lower surface, said surface having a pair of shallow grooves lying at a predetermined angle with respect to one wother, a pair of aprons, an edge of each of which is afi'lxed in one of said grooves by adhesive-located between a portion of the edge and the respective groove, the ends of said aprons terminating at.

the ends of said grooves, said aprons being of uniform thickness from one end to the other, said aprons forming an apron angle which is equal to the angle between said grooves, said aprons also forming equal predetermined surface-apron angles, a leg having two grooves extending from an end thereof, said leg grooves extending toward the other end of the leg a distance substantially at least as great as the width of end portions of said aprons to be received in said leg grooves, said leg grooves being substantially as wide as said aprons are thick, the bottoms of References fired by the Exer UNITED STATES PATENTS 239,838 4/81 Pleukharp 248-188 313,295 3/85 Beach 248188 344,893 7/86 Beard 108156 360,712. 4/87 McLain 248188 1,526,009 2/25 Partington 248-188 1,832,801 11/31 Wright 248-465 2,615,770 10/52 Curtis 108-155 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING A SUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING A FLAT SURFACE, SAID SURFACE HAVING A PAIR OF SHALLOW GROOVES LYING AT A PREDETERMINED ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, A PAIR OF APRONS AFFIXED IN SAID GROOVES, SAID APRONS BEING OF UNIFORM THICKNESS THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE LENGTHS, SAID APRONS FORMING AN APRON ANGLE WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID GROOVES, SAID APRONS ALSO FORMING PREDETERMINED SURFACE-APRON ANGLES, A LEG HAVING TWO LEGS GROOVES EXTENDING FROM AN END THEREOF, SAID LEG GROOVES EXTENDING TOWARD THE OTHER END OF SAID LEG A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE WIDTH OF END PORTIONS OF SAID APRONS, SAID LEG GROOVES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY AS WIDE AS SAID APRONS ARE THICK, THE BOTTOMS OF SAID LEG GROOVES BEING AT LEAST AS CLOSE TOGETHER AS THE ENDS OF SAID APRONS, SAID LEG GROOVES FORMING A GROOVE ANGLE WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID APRON ANGLE, EACH OF SAID LEG GROOVES FORMING A SURFACE-LEG GROOVE ANGLE EQUAL TO THE SURFACE-APRON ANGLE OF THE RESPECTIVE APRON, SAID END PORTIONS OF SAID APRONS BEING HELD IN SAID GROOVES. 